BluePrintSAR

Hawaii State SAR

Checking active alerts in Hawaii…See active incidents →
← National directory

Hawaii Search and Rescue

Who leads searches in Hawaii, how agencies request state help, and the resources behind them. Verified items link to their source. Reviewed November 2026.

Emergency: call 911. State contact: HI-EMA (808) 733-4300 (office hours; not for emergencies). 24-hour: U.S. Coast Guard JRCC Honolulu (808) 535-3333 or the Coast Guard Oceania District Command Center (24x7) 1-800-331-6176. How a state request works ↓

Requesting state help in Hawaii

No Hawaii statute names a lead agency for search and rescue. In practice the county fire and police departments handle land SAR in each county; on Oahu, the Honolulu Police Department and Honolulu Fire Department are the primary responders for wilderness and rural incidents, and the fire department runs most hiker rescues (including by helicopter).

  1. State 24-hour contactHI-EMA (808) 733-4300 · JRCC Honolulu (U.S. Coast Guard) 24x7 (808) 535-3333 · Coast Guard Oceania District Command Center (24x7) 1-800-331-6176.
  2. Requesting state resourcesIf county resources are not enough, the county emergency operations center asks the State EOC (HI-EMA, 808-733-4300) for help.

Want to write the request out before you call? Use the request builder. Official agency: HI-EMA ↗.

Key numbers

Only figures with a published source.

5counties

U.S. Census Bureau boundaries.

U.S. Census Bureau ↗

18Discipline directories

BluePrintSAR resource pages for Hawaii (below).

How search and rescue is requested in Hawaii

  1. Step 1In an emergency call 911. The county fire and police departments respond to lost, injured or stranded people.
  2. Step 2The responding county department commands the incident.
  3. Step 3If county resources are not enough, the county emergency operations center asks the State EOC (HI-EMA, 808-733-4300) for help.
  4. Step 4For missing aircraft, people at sea or federal military help, contact the U.S. Coast Guard JRCC Honolulu (24x7 808-535-3333) or the Coast Guard Oceania District Command Center (24x7 1-800-331-6176), which covers the land and waters of Hawaii.

Law and authority

HRS Chapter 137 (Search and Rescue Reimbursement Act), §§ 137-2 and 137-3

A government agency that conducts a search or rescue may seek repayment from the person rescued (or their estate or guardian), or from whoever put them in danger, but only if the need for rescue was caused by the person's intentional disregard for their own safety, such as ignoring a warning or notice. § 137-3 lets the agency sue to recover, up to the total cost of the operation.

Read the source ↗

HRS Chapter 127A (Emergency Management), § 127A-8

During an emergency or disaster under this chapter, volunteers whose services are accepted by an authorized official are emergency workers and get workers' compensation like state or county employees.

Read the source ↗

State plans and guidelines

Official plans, annexes and program documents for Hawaii.

Resources by discipline

What each resource does, how it is requested in Hawaii, and the standards that apply.

Listed in BluePrintSAR directories for Hawaii

Loading counts…

Counts are directory category listings, not unique organizations, personnel or available assets. Informational canine placeholders are excluded. Organizations can appear in several categories; canine specialty subtotals can overlap.

Aviation (County Fire / USCG / Military)

Honolulu and Maui fire departments fly hoist helicopters; the Coast Guard at Kapolei and the Hawaii Army Guard add offshore and long-range rescue.

How to request

In Hawaii, aircraft are requested by the agency running the search.

Standards and policy

There is no state aircrew standard. Units follow their own policies; the Honolulu Bell 429 is configured with a hoist and NVG-compatible lighting.

Hawaii Aviation (County Fire / USCG / Military) directory

Canine (K9)

No state SAR dog certification; county police K9 units track missing people for the agency running the search

How to request

In Hawaii, county police and fire handle searches, and county emergency management agencies coordinate local resources.

Standards and policy

Hawaii does not certify SAR dogs. Police K9 units train under their own department’s standards.

Hawaii Canine (K9) directory

Cave & Mine Rescue

Volunteer specialists

Specialists for rescues in caves and mines, where rope work, tight passages and communications make ordinary rescue methods hard.

Who provides it in Hawaii

Cave rescuers serve on local rescue squads and cave rescue groups. The National Cave Rescue Commission (part of the National Speleological Society) trains them and tracks cave rescue resources and specialized equipment. Hawaii is in the NCRC Western Region. Accidents at working mines fall under the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

How to request

Call 911. The agency with jurisdiction requests cave rescuers and can reach the NCRC regional coordinator listed on the NCRC staff page. Report an accident at a working mine to MSHA at 1-800-746-1553.

Standards and policy

NCRC national cave rescue curriculum: Orientation to Cave Rescue, Level 1 Team Member and Level 2 Team Leader.

Hawaii Cave & Lava Tube Rescue directory NCRC about ↗ NCRC regional coordinators ↗ MSHA emergency contact ↗

Cell Phone Forensics

Kelsey Smith Act law: yes (signed April 30, 2012). 4 agencies listed. All checked against a cited source.

How to request

In Hawaii, only the law enforcement agency running the search can ask a carrier for a phone's location.

Standards and policy

There is no single national certification for cell phone analysis in searches; agencies and labs set their own training requirements.

Hawaii Cell Phone Forensics directory

Coast Guard

Coast Guard district and 1 sector covering Hawaii, plus the rescue coordination center, 3 stations, an air station, 7 cutters and the Auxiliary. All checked against official sources.

How to request

In Hawaii, call 911 or VHF-FM Channel 16 for a maritime emergency.

Standards and policy

Coast Guard and Auxiliary crews qualify under Coast Guard training programs; local marine units follow the standards their agency sets.

Hawaii Coast Guard directory

Communication

National SAR and interoperability channels from the NIFOG, plus 4 state, local and volunteer radio systems and groups. All checked against official sources.

How to request

In Hawaii, the agency running the search sets the radio plan.

Standards and policy

Communications unit leaders (COML) and technicians (COMT) train through CISA courses and state credentialing; volunteers hold FCC amateur licenses.

Hawaii Communication directory

Dive & Underwater

7 public safety water rescue agencies listed, each checked against a published source.

How to request

In Hawaii, start with the agency running the search.

Standards and policy

Public safety dive teams commonly train to NFPA 1006 (technical rescue personnel qualifications), which covers dive rescue; each team’s sponsoring agency sets its own certification requirements.

Hawaii Dive & Underwater directory

Drone / UAS

State drone law: HRS 711-1121 to 711-1125. 4 agency drone programs listed, each checked against a published source in November 2026.

How to request

In Hawaii, drone teams are requested by the agency running the search.

Standards and policy

Part 107 pilots complete FAA recurrent training every 24 months; agency programs set their own proficiency standards.

Hawaii Drone / UAS directory

Law Enforcement / County Police

No Hawaii statute names a lead agency for search and rescue.

How to request

In an emergency call 911. The county fire and police departments respond to lost, injured or stranded people.

Standards and policy

No state SAR certification.

Hawaii Law Enforcement / County Police directory

Mantracking

County police

Trackers who find and follow a missing person’s footprints and other sign on the ground.

Who provides it in Hawaii

No dedicated tracking team is listed for Hawaii. County police departments use scent-tracking K9s to find missing people (Hawaii Police Department; Honolulu Police Department Canine Unit).

How to request

The agency running the search requests trackers, usually alongside ground search teams; see who leads searches above.

Standards and policy

ASTM F2852, Standard Practice for Training a Land Search Tracker, sets minimum training for trackers supporting a land search. FEMA’s Land SAR Team typing (8-508-1173) references ASTM F2209 for land search team members.

Hawaii Mantracking directory ASTM F2852 (tracker training) ↗ FEMA Land SAR Team definition ↗

Marine & Boating Law Enforcement

State boating agency

Officers and boats on lakes, rivers and coastal waters who respond to boating emergencies and support water searches.

Who provides it in Hawaii

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators lists Hawaii Dept of Land & Natural Resources as Hawaii’s boating law agency (boating safety, enforcement and registration).

How to request

Call 911 for a water emergency; the agency with jurisdiction requests marine units through dispatch. On coastal waters and the Great Lakes, the U.S. Coast Guard coordinates maritime search and rescue.

Standards and policy

State boating laws. NASBLA promotes uniform state boating laws and their enforcement (U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division).

Hawaii Marine / Ocean Safety Lifeguards directory Hawaii Dept of Land & Natural Resources ↗ NASBLA Hawaii boating contacts ↗ State boating laws (USCG Boating Safety) ↗

National Guard

Governor-activated

Military helicopters and personnel for hoist rescue, aerial search and ground support when civilian resources can’t do the job.

Who provides it in Hawaii

The Hawaii National Guard (Army and Air), activated in state status by the Governor.

How to request

The agency with jurisdiction requests it through HI-EMA. Outside the continental U.S., military and Coast Guard aviation for SAR is coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard JRCC Honolulu, (808) 535-3333.

Standards and policy

State active duty under the Governor’s authority; Guard aircraft used for SAR are coordinated with the rescue coordination center.

Hawaii National Guard directory Hawaii National Guard (official) ↗ State Guard websites (National Guard Bureau) ↗ HI-EMA ↗

State Parks

State agency

The state park system, whose staff know park terrain and trails and support searches on park land.

Who provides it in Hawaii

Hawaii State Parks. The National Association of State Park Directors lists this as the official park-system website.

How to request

For an emergency in a park, call 911. Park staff support the agency with jurisdiction; see who leads searches at the top of this page.

Standards and policy

Park rules and staff authority are set by the state park agency; see its website.

Hawaii State Parks & DLNR directory Hawaii State Parks (official) ↗ State park directory (America’s State Parks) ↗

Swiftwater & Flood Rescue

County fire

Teams that search for and rescue people and animals in swiftwater and floods, from shore and by boat.

Who provides it in Hawaii

No separate swiftwater or flood team is listed for Hawaii. County fire departments and ocean safety lifeguards carry out water rescues; see the Dive & Underwater directory.

How to request

The agency with jurisdiction requests water rescue through 911 dispatch. When local teams are exceeded, help is requested through HI-EMA.

Standards and policy

FEMA’s NIMS resource typing defines a Swiftwater/Flood Search and Rescue Team (8-508-1020), which provides shore-based and boat-based water rescue, basic life support and animal rescue.

Hawaii Swiftwater directory FEMA Swiftwater/Flood SAR Team definition ↗ HI-EMA ↗

Technical Mountain Rescue

County fire

Teams for steep, high-angle and alpine terrain that use rope systems to reach and evacuate people.

Who provides it in Hawaii

No Mountain Rescue Association member team is based in Hawaii (MRA team lists). No other rope rescue team is listed. County fire departments run hiker and cliff rescues, including by helicopter; on Oahu the Honolulu Fire Department’s rescue companies handle technical rescue.

How to request

The agency with jurisdiction requests the team, usually through 911 dispatch; see who leads searches above. Help from outside the area is requested through HI-EMA.

Standards and policy

FEMA’s NIMS resource typing defines a Mountain Search and Rescue Team (8-508-1171) for low mountain, mountain and alpine environments. The MRA lists member teams by region with their membership status.

Hawaii Technical Mountain & Cliff Rescue directory MRA teams by region ↗ FEMA Mountain SAR Team definition ↗

USAR (State Task Force)

No FEMA task force is based in Hawaii; federal teams come through FEMA.

How to request

In Hawaii, US&R teams are requested by the agency in charge of the incident, through the state emergency management agency when local resources run short.

Standards and policy

FEMA task forces train to FEMA and NFPA standards; state and regional teams follow the standards their sponsor sets.

Hawaii USAR (State Task Force) directory

Federal lands (National Park Service)

Federal land manager

Federal land agencies whose staff support searches on national forests, grasslands and parks.

Who provides it in Hawaii

Hawaii has no national forest or grassland on the Forest Service’s list. The National Park Service lists 8 national parks in Hawaii.

How to request

In a national park, call 911 or the park’s emergency line; the NPS will make reasonable efforts to search for lost persons, using its own staff or partner SAR organizations under formal agreements.

Standards and policy

NPS Management Policies 2006, §8.2.5.3: SAR runs under the Incident Command System and visitors are not charged for it.

Hawaii Federal Lands (NPS / USFWS) directory NPS sites in Hawaii ↗ NPS SAR policy excerpt ↗

UTV & ATV Units

Agency-run

Off-road vehicles, including UTVs, ATVs and e-bikes, that move searchers and equipment and carry out injured people over rough trails.

Who provides it in Hawaii

No UTV or ATV search unit is listed for Hawaii.

How to request

The agency running the search requests vehicle units; see who leads searches above.

Standards and policy

FEMA’s Land SAR Team typing (8-508-1173) includes ground vehicles for support, transportation and evacuation in land and wilderness searches.

Hawaii UTV & ATV / 4x4 Units directory FEMA Land SAR Team definition ↗

5-county directory

Selected police and park dispatch contacts by county. Kalawao’s row lists Kalaupapa National Historical Park dispatch; Maui County provides support through mutual aid. For an emergency, call 911.

All five contact entries were checked against agency and government pages on October 24, 2026. “Contact source” supports the number and purpose shown. Police information lines and dispatch contacts serve different purposes.

JurisdictionAgencyPhone
Hawaii CountyHawaii County Police Department(808) 935-3311
police non-emergency · Contact source
City and County of HonoluluHonolulu Police Department(808) 529-3111
main line (police information) · Contact source
Kalawao CountyKalaupapa National Historical Park dispatch1-877-428-6911
24-hour park dispatch; Maui County provides mutual-aid support · Contact source · Response agencies
Kauai CountyKauai County Police Department(808) 241-1711
police non-emergency dispatch · Contact source
Maui CountyMaui County Police Department(808) 244-6400
police non-emergency, 24 hours · Contact source
Page edited November 2, 2026How we verifyGet SAR news alertsIs this your team? Correct or share this listing